Peanut butter & jam tart

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Ingredients 

Sablé crust 

Peanut butter pastry cream 

• 1 envelope gelatin 
• 2 1/2 c whole milk 
• 1 t vanilla extract 
• 1 tsp sea salt 
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1/3 c sugar 
• 1/4 c cornstarch  
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 2/3 c creamy peanut butter 
• Raspberry jam, for topping 

Method 

Sablé crust 

• Beat butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy. Add the egg yolk and beat until combined. On low speed, add the flour and the ground peanuts. Once combined, add the cream; this is to moisten the crust and keep it from drying out or cracking. 
• Refrigerate the crust for one hour, or make ahead up to 2 days. Take it out of the fridge, and let it rest for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to roll out. Roll it out into an 11” circle, and press into the tart pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and fill with a pie weight (or just dry beans). Preheat oven to 375°. Chill it in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes to firm up the butter again. 
• Bake for 25-30 minutes. Take it out and remove the pie weights. To fully bake the crust, put it in for another 5-10 minutes. Let the crust cool completely in the pan. 

Peanut butter pastry cream 

• In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 2 tbsp of water so the gelatin blooms. 
• In a saucepan, heat milk, vanilla and sea salt, whisking occasionally until it just hits a boil. 
• In medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. 
• When the milk mixture hits a boil, slowly stream the milk mixture into the egg mixture and temper the eggs. Strain through a fine sieve back into the pan.
• Whisking constantly over medium heat, cook the mixture until it becomes very thick, the foam disappears, and a couple bubbles begin to pop; take immediately off the heat. Add gelatin, peanut butter and butter; whisk until dissolved and smooth. Put over an ice bath to cool and stop the cooking; let it set overnight. 

Assembly 

• Once the crust is completely cooled, spread the prepared pastry cream into the tart pan. Let it sit covered and refrigerated overnight. 
• Spread raspberry jam evenly over the top of the pastry cream. Decorate with crushed peanuts and honey meringues (optional).

The journey to this recipe

Honestly? I don’t remember how I thought of this. I remember I was at work. I was mixing a 10x batch of Swiss meringue, during which I always have time to think (usually about dinner). I was going to make something for a friend and I wanted it to be perfect, and I was thinking about peanut butter, and a tart, and I was hit with inspiration. It was so good and fun! Everyone loves peanut butter and jam. First of all, pb&j just smells sensational, and they are amazing, nostalgic flavors. I threw in honey meringues because I also love a good peanut butter and honey sandwich and figured I’d go all-in on the theme. It takes a little bit of extra work, I’ll admit, but the crust can be blind-baked 1-3 days in advance, the pastry cream is made the day before and the meringues can be made so far in advance as long as they are frozen, so if you plan ahead this is an amazing and fun treat. Happy baking!